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New Breakthroughs In The Mechanism Of Staphylococcus Aureus Infection And Drug Resistance

May 15, 2018

Recently, researchers from the Pasteur-CNRS Research Institute have discovered that one gene of Staphylococcus aureus is involved in bacterial toxicity, membrane formation, and resistance to specific antibiotics. These results provide new clues for understanding the resistance mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus. The results were published in the most recent issue of Plos Pathogen.

Staphylococcus aureus is a natural skin flora that is present in the outer mucous layer of 30%-50% of people. This parasitic pattern does not cause obvious disease, but it can cause skin damage and intracardiac in certain conditions. Messitis, acute pneumonia, osteomyelitis, and sepsis. S. aureus is the most important gram-positive pathogen in the world, and it is also a dangerous species that is resistant to various antibiotics. In particular, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a serious health problem globally.

Recently, scientists led by Tarek Msadek studied the bacterial response to environmental changes and its role in the S. aureus infection process, which is mainly regulated by a genetic mechanism called the "two-component" system. In this study, the authors focused on a two-component system called WalKR, which is important for the survival of bacteria. In addition, the authors also found another membrane protein called SpdC, whose function is unknown. This component can bind to and modulate the activity of WalKR, and the lack of this protein leads to a significant reduction in toxicity, and pellicle membrane formation and antibiotic resistance are also significantly inhibited.

In this regard, the authors believe that by inhibiting the activity of SpdC may be able to be used against S. aureus infection, and to understand why it will change from symbiotic bacteria to pathogenic bacteria.